Vibrator.



W. S. HEAL.

VIBRATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19. 1915.

Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

INVENTOR I 7 A ORNEYS.

WILLIAM S. HEAL, 0F ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY.

VIBRATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept 19 1916 Application filed October 19, 1915. Serial No. 56,739.

To all whom. it may concern.

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM S. HEAL, a subject of the King of England, and a resident of Elizabeth, county of Union, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vibrators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a vibrator hav ing a rotor which imparts vibration to the device when a stream of water is projected on the rotor, and which also provides for moving the rotor out of the path of the stream of fluid to prevent any vibration, but which causes the water to pass through the vibrator and utilizing a screen or perforated plate for transforming the stream into a spray. In vibrators of this kind as heretofore made the fluid is accompanied by a considerable splash, and with a large openended holder, the splashing is so extensive that it is objectionable, but it is advisable to provide a holder of substantial diameter so as to allow the massaging or treatment of a considerable surface of the body.

My invention provides a front or vibrating element which is adapted to prevent the splashing to any unnecessary extent and direct a medium size spray, said front being adapted to provide a resilient or spring surface for application to the skin and also to permit enough water to escape from the holder to prevent its clogging to interfere with the rotation of the rotor. I have found that if there is not a ready exit-available for the water, that it quickly comes back or is retained in the holder so as to interfere with the free rotation of the rotor, and when such free rotation is interfered with the vibration is insufiicient or spasmodic.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a mounting for a shifting rotor that is positive, is adapted to prevent a leakage, and is so constructed that it yieldingly holds the rotor in desired positions, but firmly enough to prevent its accidental displacement from such position.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a face view of the holder of the vibrator, and Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 in Fig. 1. In these figures the illustration of any handle or the flexible tubing with which these devices are usually equipped has been omitted and only the holder is shown. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the front or face plate and the screen removed, and Fig. 1 is a detail to more clearly illustrate the yielding catch that holds the rotor in its rotative and non-rotative positions.

In this invention the particular form of holder is not essential, but I have illustrated one that is of a type usually employed in th s kind of vibrator, it being cylindrical w1th an open end, the holder 10 being made of sheet metal and formed with its closed end secured-to the base of a nozzle 11 which is connected to a suitable pipe 12, which pipe 12 in turn is suitably fastened to a flexible hose for attachment to a faucet and is also usually provided with any desired form of handle. The nozzle 11 is usually placed in the center so as to give a more balanced structure, although this it not essential, and the stream is projected through the open end of the nozzle, and in the old form it causes a considerable splashing and diversion of water so that its use in the house is objectionable.

In my improved vibrator the face plate 13 is made with one surface adapted to be resilient and bear against the human body, being provided with projections, such as the rubber or elastic fingers 14, and having on its peripheral edge, the bead 15 adapted embrace the flange 16 of the holder, and to be held thereon by its own elasticity. Other means of fastening the face plate can be used, but the-form described utilizes the elasticity of the rubber of the plate to hold the plate on the front of the holder. The resilient surface can be formed in any number of ways and the plate can be manufactured from different materials, but rubber is preferred.

The face plate 13 is provided with a central opening 17 which is preferably in line with the nozzle 11, that part of the water from the nozzle that hits the hole 17 being formed into a spray by a suitable perforated plate or a screen 18 which is attached behind the face plate 13 in any suitable way, the preferred manner being to make the screen to fit so that it can be sprung under the flange 16 of the holder. The screen is shown bulged at the center so as to stiffen it and to present the resilient surface of the face plate well to the front. The central opening 17 is comparatively small but large enough to give a substantially wide spray on the body. The water that hits the back of the face plate around the opening 17 can not be allowed to back up in the holder, and I place supplemental openings 19 in the face plate, these openings being large enough to permit the excess water to fiow out no matter what part of the holder is lowest. They are usually placed adjacent to the edge of the face plate and can be individually of any desired shape. These openings provide adequate space for the water to flow out, but the wall between the central opening 17 and the supplemental openings 19 limits the size of the spray, prevents excessive spraying or splashing and at the same time interferes in no way with the successful and unimpeded rotation of the rotor. The rotor 20 comprises a wheel witlrpaddles or arms 21, the rotor being usually unbalanced as by making the hub 22 eccentric. The rotor rotates freely on the shaft 23 between the flanges 24: and 25. The shaft is suitably mounted and I prefer to place one end in a bearing 26 in the side of the holder, which is a hole in which the shaft rather closely fits but in which it can slide. It thus prevents leakage or squirting at thispoint. A post 27 is sprung into the holder 10 by squeezing the holder at the sides, and it is held in the recess 28% The shaft 23 slides in the post 27 and is provided with a spring 28 which is secured to the shaft 23 in any desired way, being shown as riveted to the end thereof. The spring has a free end which has a raised part or ridge 29 which yieldingly holds the shaft in two different positions. WVhen the ridge 29 is on the side of the post 27 at which it is illustrated, the rotor is held in front of the nozzle 11 and is rotated and the device is vibrated. If the shaft 23 is slid to force the spring to the other side of the post 27, the rotor is moved out of the path of the stream of water and the device is not vibrated but is simply a spray.

The shaft 23 slides in a straight line through a hole or bearing in the side of the holder, and the bearing is tight enough to prevent leakage at that point, but there is no hard pulling necessary on the handle 30 with which the shaft is provided. If the hands are wet or soapy the shaft is easily operated, since there is no rotative or twisting movement of the handle necessary, which operations would cause wet fingers to slip. The rotor is necessarily moved with the shaft, since it is flanked by the flanges 24 and 25.

The device is simple and has no complicated or expensive parts. It will be evident that, if desirable, the face plate can be made with only a central perforation and the side or supplemental perforations can be made partly in the face plate and partly in the holder, or they can be made in the edge of the holder itself to take care of the excess water.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A vibrator comprising a holder, a rotor in the holder, a nozzle to direct a stream of fluid on the rotor, a face plate on the vibrator, the face plate having a resilient part to engage the skin, the face plate having an opening in the path of the stream, a screen in said opening to transform the stream into a spray, the face plate having supplemental openings adjacent to its edge.

2. A vibrator having a face plate with a resilient surface and having a central opening and side openings, a screen in said central opening, and a nozzle to direct a stream of fluid through the central opening.

3. A vibrator comprising an open-ended holder, a nozzle to project water through the open end, and a face plate on the open end, the face plate having elastic fingers on its surface, the face plate having a screened central opening and having side openings.

4. A vibrator comprising an open-ended holder, and a face plate on the open end of the holder, the face plate having resilient fingers projecting therefrom and having a central opening and having supplemental openings adjacent to its edge, the part between the openings being imperforate, the central opening being screened.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I hereto set my hand, this 14th day of October, 1915.

WILLIAM S. HEAL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. 

